On April 7, 1984, a Piper PA-23-250 (registration N6890Y) operated by Nolan L. Polley was involved in an aviation accident near Titusville, FL. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot unable to extend the left main gear for landing, then unable to retract remaining gear for a belly landing, landed on sod. The nose gear collapsed during the slide. Post-accident tests showed gear functioned normally after prying open jammed doors.
Incident Overview
A pilot encountered a landing gear malfunction while preparing to land. The left main landing gear could not be extended. Subsequently, the pilot was unable to retract the right main and nose landing gears to perform a planned belly landing. The aircraft was landed on the grass beside the runway with the left main gear retracted. During the landing slide, the nose gear collapsed.
Post-Accident Examination
After the accident, the aircraft was jacked up. Investigators pried open the left main gear doors, at which point the left main gear fell out and locked into the down position. With the nose gear and left main gear doors removed from the system due to impact damage, the main landing gears operated normally when tested. The nose gear and left main gear doors were excluded from the test because of impact damage.
Maintenance History
The aircraft had flown only about one hour in the year preceding the accident.